Whenever I end a significant relationship, I'm overtaken with the urge to completely change my physical appearance. For a long time, constantly changing my hair, exercising more, and creating a whole new wardrobe for myself were the extents of my experimentations. After a particularly nasty breakup, however, I decided to finally get my snakebites done.
At A Glance Author Seizure Contact Seizure@bme.anon IAM seizure When Three months ago Artist Maddy Studio Mom's Tattoo Studio Location Amherst, MA My ex-boyfriend constantly mocked me for wanting to start exploring the world of body-modification; he'd call me derisive names and tell me I was simply being trendy. I wanted to punch him in the stomach but instead just broke up with him. A few days later, I took a walk downtown to Mom's Tattoo Studio, a highly recommended family piercing and tattoo parlor that several of my friends had gone to. My good friend Sarah came down with me, but the place was too crowded when we first came down so we ended up visiting a knitting store and getting some dinner before heading back upstairs.
Now, I had had my snakebites done during the time I was dating my boyfriend, but they became such a point of contention that I ended up taking them out. It's a small, petty thing to be mad about, but I always felt that he had made me give up something I truly loved and that he was incredibly selfish for making me do so. After all, I could never tear him away from a Sox game or I'd never hear the end of it. Getting them redone was the biggest "FUCK YOU!" I could imagine.
So my piercer, Maddy came over and had me sign the release forms. At this point I was bouncing all over the place, chock-full of endorphins and hardly able to wait to get them done. Sarah flipped though some of the albums of the studio's work but didn't settle on anything she wanted. By the time Maddy had finally gotten all the equipment ready, I could no longer sit still. I love Mom's because it's the cleanest tattoo parlor that I've ever been in: lots of light, high ceilings, scrubbed and fresh-smelling. It's relaxed and fun and I'll never go anywhere else. I sat down in the chair and Sarah got ready to hold my hand when the piercings happened. Even though I knew what to expect, I was still a bit nervous. I mean, you can KNOW a bomb's coming but still dread it. Not quite on the same level as a lip piercing, but you get my drift.
Maddy explained that since we'd be going at least partly through some scar tissue from the first time they had been pierced, she was going to use a 14g tapered needle to make the holes and then use 16g rings in the piercings. It would make it much easier to slip the jewelry in and would alleviate some of the swelling later. I got to rinse with some horribly strong mouthwash for 45 seconds, then she wiped my mouth area with antiseptic and marked the places on my lower lip that the rings would go through. After I got to check them out, she cleaned my mouth area again and got to work clamping the left side of my mouth. I grabbed Sarah's hand, and Maddy placed the cork under my lip to catch the needle and it slid in from top to bottom. Maddy and Sarah kept joking around as Maddy got ready, and I would have loved to join in except for the fact that half my lower lip was in a tight clamp. Maddy put the needle against my lip, told me to breathe in, then told me to breath out, and as I exhaled she pushed the needle through. It pinched slightly, but the most uncomfortable part occured when she had to leave the needle in my lip to get the lip ring. My lip already felt a little swollen but there was no blood and no pain at all once the jewelry was in.
As for the right side of my lip, I had forgotten that having the left side already pierced brought heightened sensitivity to ALL areas of my mouth, so when Maddy repeated the performance, I YELPED when the needle went through what had, without warning, become a very sore lip. Once Maddy had inserted the second lip ring, however, the pain was mainly gone and I didn't bleed at all. I rinsed out with the crazy mouthwash again and then checked myself out in the mirror again.
I adored it. I felt even better than I had the first time I got them done. Sarah and Maddy got a good laugh as I bounced around, squealing "I feel so pretty now!" I gave Maddy a hug and then took off for the dorms.
A month later, the snakebites have healed beautifully. I rinse meticulously with sea salt and warm water after every meal or snack and I've never had a problem with the piercings at all. I'd never go to another studio for any kind of work, and I can't thank Maddy enough for giving me more pride in my appearance. And...for giving me the chance to stick it to that asshole exboyfriend!